Newton to Attend WNBA Pre-Draft Camp
Apr 08 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ – Rutgers senior Chelsea Newton (Monroe, LA) is one of 41 student-athletes who has been asked to attend the WNBA’s Pre-Draft Camp April 8-10 in Tarrytown, NY.
Newton, a 5-11 guard, was named the 2005 BIG EAST Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team. She averaged 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals for Rutgers as a senior, starting 32 of 33 games and posting 15 double-digit scoring efforts. A selection to the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team (Nov. 27-29, 2004), she was named Rutgers’ 2003-2004 Most Valuable Player after averaging 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, posting 11 double-digit scoring efforts (two 20+ points). During her four years “On the Banks,” Newton started 95 of 104 games, averaging 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals per contest, posting 51 double-digit scoring games (four 20+ points), two double-digit rebounding games and two double-doubles.
The three-day pre-draft camp gives WNBA staffs the opportunity to evaluate potential selections for the 2005 WNBA Draft, which will be held Saturday, April 16. The first round of the draft will be shown live on ESPN2 starting at 12:00 p.m., and the second and third rounds will be carried on NBATV starting at 1:00 p.m. WNBA.com will also offer in-depth coverage of all three rounds.
If she is selected, Newton would be the seventh Scarlet Knight to be picked in the WNBA Draft – Sue Wicks (1997, first round, New York Liberty); Usha Gilmore (2000, third round, Indiana Fever); Shawnetta Stewart (2000, third round, Orlando Miracle); Tammy Sutton-Brown (2001, second round, Charlotte Sting); Tasha Pointer (2001, fourth round, Portland Fire); Davalyn Cunningham (2002, second round, Orlando Miracle).
No. 9/10 Rutgers (28-7, 14-2 BIG EAST), the BIG EAST regular-season champion and BIG EAST Tournament runner-up, advanced to the regional final of the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
